Folding chair with footrest

ABSTRACT

A foldable chair having a footrest body that may be supported as a footrest or as a table. The footrest body is supported by two beams that are rotatably mounted to a main body of the chair. One or more supports connect between the main body of the chair and the footrest body to support the footrest body at a first position, in which the footrest body acts as a footrest, and a second position, in which the footrest body acts as a table, for example for a notebook computer.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Application Number2005-091669, filed Mar. 28, 2005, and incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to chairs, and more particularly to atype of foldable chair equipped with a footrest.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recently, with diversification in lifestyle, more opportunities havebecome available for outdoor camping or other outdoor activities. Manyitems have been developed to increase comfort during such activities. Asan example, Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 10[1998] 262772discloses a type of foldable reclining chair that can be used outdoors,is lightweight, and can be stored compactly.

Although such foldable chairs work well for their intended purpose, theyoften are not as comfortable as seating arrangements that are availablefor indoor use. For example, when seating indoors, the following schememay be adopted so that the user can sit comfortably on a chair: afootstool, ottoman, or other footrest may be set directly in front of asofa or a reclining chair, so that the user may put his feet on thefootrest to stretch his legs with his knees slightly bent, the user'sfeet being raised while he sits.

Also, in the new information age, there are additional needs whileseated, especially if a user wishes to use a computer. Conventionalportable, foldable chairs are not designed for seating while usingnotebook computers, portable players, or other devices.

A notebook computer must be operated with both hands while viewingimages displayed on its screen. It is very difficult to operate such acomputer while the computer is positioned on a user's lap. For thisreason, if a user desires to use a computer when in a foldable chair, itis best to set a table near the foldable chair. However, if the table isset on either the left side or right side of the user, the user mustoperate the keyboard, which is designed to be manipulated by both hands,with a single hand, so the posture is awkward. Also, in order to viewthe image displayed on the screen, the user must turn his or her head,and an unreasonable force is applied to the upper portion of the body.As a result, the user soon feels fatigued, and muscle aches or the likemay occur.

Convenient work tables are provided in medical environments. For such atable, a patient lying on a bed props up the upper half of his body onthe bed, and uses the table for meals or to operate a notebook computer.The table is supported by beams extending from a frame of the bed. Thetabletop and a stationary, indoor chair may be similarly integrated, forexample as a school desk. However, a structure with an integrated tablehas not been adopted for a foldable chair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In an embodiment, a foldable chair is provided footrest body that may besupported as a footrest or as a table. The footrest body is supported byone or more beams that are rotatably mounted to a main body of thechair. One or more supports connect between the main body of the chairand the footrest body to support the footrest body at a first position,in which the footrest body acts as a footrest, and a second position, inwhich the footrest body acts as a table, for example for a notebookcomputer.

In accordance with an embodiment, a foldable chair is provided having achair main body, beams, each with one end connected to the chair mainbody, a footrest body attached to the distal end of the beams, and oneor more tension members that support the footrest body and the beams onthe chair main body at a desired height or heights.

In an embodiment, the tension member may be connected at two differentpositions on the chair main body. When the tension member is connectedat the first position, the footrest body becomes the footrest and, whenthe tension member is connected at the second position, the footrestbody becomes a table.

In accordance with an embodiment, a foldable chair is provided having achair main body. The folding chair includes two beams, connected in ascissors manner and the ends of which support a footrest body. Thefootrest body is, for example, a fabric stretched between the ends ofthe two beams. The ends of the two beams may be bent to provide comfortfor a user. The foldable chair includes two flexible tension members,each having one end attached to the beams, respectively, and having theother end attached to the chair main body. One or both of theconnections may be removably connectable. For example, the end thatconnects to the chair main body may be equipped with a first connector.The first connectors are arranged and configured to attach or connect totwo first couplings equipped on the chair main body such that when thefirst connectors are connected to the first couplings, the tensionmembers support the footrest body and beams at a first height. Secondcouplings are provided that connect to the connectors and support thefootrest body at a second height.

In an embodiment, when the footrest body is at the second height, thereis a means to prevent the sliding off of an object carried on the uppersurface of said footrest body.

In an embodiment, the various structural elements have appropriate sizesso that the feet of the user are supported by the footrest body at thefirst height, and the various structural elements have appropriate sizesso that said footrest body can be used as a tabletop at the secondheight.

In an embodiment, a footrest for a foldable chair is provided having twobeams which can be quick connected to or disconnected from at least twofoot portions equipped on the foldable chair. The beams may have auniversal joint attached near one end, and may rotate with respect toeach other in a scissors fashion. A footrest body is provided that isattached to the other ends of the beams. Two flexible tension membersare included, each having one end attached to one end of a respectivebeam and the other end equipped with a connector. The connectors may bequick-connected to or disconnected from the foldable chair and may becoupled to different connectors to support the footrest body at a firstheight and a second height.

The tension members may be length adjustable to adjust the footrest bodyat desired heights.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings, inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a foldable chair in accordance withan embodiment, with a footrest body arranged as a footrest;

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the foldable chair shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the foldable chair of FIG. 1, with afootrest body arranged as a table; and

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the foldable chair shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments of the presentinvention will be described. For purposes of explanation, specificconfigurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout the specific details. Furthermore, well-known features may beomitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment beingdescribed.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numeralsrepresent like elements throughout the several views, FIG. 1 is a planview illustrating a foldable chair in accordance with an embodiment. Thefoldable chair includes a chair main body 1 having, for example, fourlegs, a seating surface, and a back. The chair main body 1 is not shownin the drawings. However, the chair main body 1 may have any structurethat is foldable and that allows attachment of a footrest such as isdescribed herein. As an example, the chair main body 1 may be configuredlike the foldable chair disclosed in Japanese Kokai Patent ApplicationNo. Hei 10[1998] 262772 or the four step chair (product of Coleman JapanCo., Ltd., model No. 170 5602). The Coleman Japan Co. foldable chairincludes rotatable legs and a cloth supporting the thigh portion as wellas the back portion. In accordance with an embodiment, the folding chairis foldable to a lounge position.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, one end of a first beam 31 isattached to a front-right leg 11 a of the chair main body 1 by means ofuniversal joint (21). Similarly, by means of universal joint (22), oneend of second beam (32) is attached to front-left leg (12 a). The firstbeam (31) and the second beam (32) are connected in a scissor-likemanner, enabling rotation of one relative to the other about the twobeam's centers. As a means for enabling said rotation, a rotating pin(41) is set through the two beams 31 and 32. The rotating pin has headportions on both ends to lock the two beams together.

The beams (31), (32) may be made, for example, of pipes composed of alight alloy provided with a rust-proof treatment or another suitablematerial. The universal joints (21), (22) may be a conventional jointingmeans, such as commercially available products made of synthetic resinballs supported by synthetic resin structural bodies.

A flexible footrest body (40) spans from near the distal end of thefirst beam (31) to near the distal end of the second beam (32). Thefootrest body (40) may be made, for example, of a durable cloth orfabric that has pockets at the two ends allowing insertion of the distalends of the beams (31), (32). In addition, the portions of the beams(31), (32) inserted in footrest body (40) may be bent slightly downwardrelative to the rest of the beams, as can be seen in FIG. 2. The angleof the bend in the beams 31, 32 is selected appropriately so that anunreasonable force is not applied to the knees of a person sitting onthe folding chair, and the knees can be slightly bent while the legs arestretched.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, a flexible tension member 51having connector (51 b) is attached at a fixing end (51 a) to the firstbeam (31), adjacent to the footrest body 40. An opposite end of thetension member 51 includes a connector (51 b). Similarly, on beam (32),a flexible tension member 52 having a connector (52 b) is attached at afixing end (52 a). For the two length-adjustable tension members 51, 52,for example, the same cloth or synthetic leather used for the footrestbody (40) may be used. In order to improve the durability, one or bothmay laminate plural layers of sheets for these parts.

If desired, for the flexible tension members 51, 52, a length-adjustingmechanism may be included to vary the length of the tension members 51,52. In this manner, the tension members 51, 52 may be adjusted to fit aparticular user. The length-adjusting mechanism may be made, forexample, of a synthetic resin similar to that used in a length-adjustingdrawstring lock.

In the embodiment shown in the drawings, a first set of couplers orconnectors (11 b), (12 b) and second set of couplers or connectors (11c), (12 c) are attached to the chair main body (1). The couplers 11 b,12 b and the couplers 11 c, 12 c are configured and arranged todetachably connect to the connectors 51 b, 52 b of the tension members51, 52. The first couplers (11 b), (12 b) are positioned such that, whenthe connectors 51 b, 52 b are connected to the first couplers 11 b, 12b, the footrest body (40) is supported at a first height (H1). Thesecond couplers (11 c), (12 c) are positioned such that, when theconnectors 51 b, 52 b are connected to the second couplers 11 c, 12 c,the footrest body (40) is supported at a second height (H2).

The first height (H1) is the height obtained by selecting appropriatesizes for the various structural elements such that the feet of the userare supported by footrest body (40). The second height (H2) is theheight obtained by selecting appropriate sizes for the variousstructural elements such that the footrest body (40) can be used as atable.

The positions of attachment of the couplers 11 a, 12 a, 11 b, 12 b maybe freely selected. The first couplers (11 b), (12 b) may, for example,be sewn onto the lower surface of the front of the seat surface, and thesecond couplers (11 c), (12 c) may be sewn onto the lower surface of thearmrest, so that said first height (H1) and second height (H2) may beattained.

As an example, the connectors (51 b), (52 b), first couplers (11 b), (12b) and second couplers (11 c), (12 c) may be made of synthetic resin. Asother examples, the combination of the connectors and the couplers mayinclude hook and loop fasteners, loop and toggle fasteners, hooks,clips, clasps, clamps, ties, or any other structure that permitsreleasable connection between the connectors and the couplers.

As an alternative to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the tensionmembers 51, 52 may be releasably connected to the footrest bodies and/orthe beams 31, 32, or may be releasably connected at both ends. Inaddition, if desired, only one tension member 51 or 52, or more than twotension members, may be used. As another alternative, a tension membermay be attached at the same position to the chair main body 1 when thefootrest body 40 is in the two positions. In this embodiment, thetension member or members may have their length adjusted, or may beattached at a different location on the tension member, for example byhaving two connectors such as the connectors 51 b, 52 b, on each tensionmember.

In an embodiment, the footrest body (40) may have a sliding-offprevention means (40 a) that may prevent the sliding off of notebookcomputer (60) or other object carried at the second height (H2). Saidsliding-off prevention means (40 a) may be made of a wide ribbon-shapedcloth, with its two sides and the front side of the central portion sewnon the end portions of footrest body (40). Consequently, when saidfootrest body (40) is used as a footrest, said sliding-off preventionmeans (40 a) lays flat and does not interfere with feet set on thefootrest. On the other hand, when the footrest body (40) is used as atable (FIG. 3), the cloth acts as a partial sleeve into which a frontedge of the notebook computer fits. The sleeve is higher at the sidesand lower in the middle, so even if the thickness of notebook computer(60) varies, notebook computer (60) can be supported by wrapping itsfront, and more specifically its front corners, so that interferencewith the keyboard of notebook computer (60) does not occur.

When the foldable chair of the present invention is not in use, the twobeams 31, 32 are rotated around the rotating shaft or pin 41 so that theparts are aligned as a single bundle while the two foot portions of thebeams with the footrest attached to them are set near each other byfolding, so that the entirety including the footrest is collapsed into asingle bundle. The folding structure of the chair main body 1 may be thesame as that of foldable chairs in the prior art.

In addition, although not shown in the figures, a footrest with the samestructure may be attachable to an existing foldable chair. Also, ifdesired, the footrest body 40 may be supported by a single beam, forexample along one side. Also, more than two beams may be used forsupport.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrated embodiment thereof isshown in the drawings and has been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

1. A foldable chair, comprising: a main body; a footrest body rotatablyattached to the main body; one or more supports connected between themain body of the chair and the footrest body to support the footrestbody at a first position in which the footrest body acts as a footrest,and a second position in which the footrest body acts as a table.
 2. Thefoldable chair of claim 1, wherein the footrest body is connected to themain body by one or more beams that are rotatably mounted to the chairmain body.
 3. The foldable chair of claim 2, wherein the footrest bodyis mounted between distal ends of said one or more beams.
 4. Thefoldable chair of claim 3, wherein the footrest body comprises fabricstretched between the distal ends of at least two of said one or morebeams.
 5. The foldable chair of claim 4, wherein said one or more beamsare rotatably mounted to one or more front legs of the chair main body.6. The foldable chair of claim 5, wherein two of said one or more beamsare connected in a scissor fashion.
 7. The foldable chair of claim 3,wherein two of said one or more beams are connected in a scissorfashion.
 8. The foldable chair of claim 3, wherein distal ends of saidone or more beams are bent to accommodate the leg angles of a user whenthe footrest body is in the first position.
 9. The foldable chair ofclaim 1, wherein said one or more supports comprises a tension memberconnected to the footrest body and attachable to a first location on themain body of the chair when the footrest body is in the first position,and to a second location on the main body of the chair when the footrestbody is in the second position.
 10. The foldable chair of claim 9,wherein the first location is below a seat of the folding chair.
 11. Thefoldable chair of claim 10, wherein the first location is adjacent anarmrest for the folding chair.
 12. The foldable chair of claim 9,wherein the footrest body is connected to the main body by two beamsthat are rotatably mounted to the chair main body, and wherein thetension member is connected to one of the beams.
 13. The foldable chairof claim 12, further comprising a second tension member connected to theother of said beams and attachable to a first location on the main bodyof the chair when the footrest body is in the first position, and to asecond location on the main body of the chair when the footrest body isin the second position.
 14. The foldable chair of claim 13, wherein thetension member and the second tension member are adjustable in length.15. The foldable chair of claim 9, wherein the tension member isadjustable in length.
 16. The foldable chair of claim 1, wherein saidone or more supports comprises a tension member connected to thefootrest body and attachable to the main body of the chair andreconfigurable to permit the footrest body to be supported by thetension member in the first and second positions.
 17. The foldable chairof claim 1, further comprising means to prevent the sliding off of anobject carried on the upper surface of said footrest body when thefootrest body is in the second position.
 18. The foldable chair of claim1, further comprising a flap for retaining a notebook computer on thefootrest body when the footrest body is in the second position.
 19. Thefoldable chair of claim 18, wherein the flap lays flat against the topof the footrest body when no object is placed in the footrest body. 20.A footrest body configured for use as described in claim 1.